Gate



C. A.McCANN.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, I919.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' C. A.McCANN.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1a, 1919.

Patented Aug. 24,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' To all whom it may concern:

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. onnn, or

srnmerrnrm, ILLINOIS.

GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 24, 1920.

Application filed June 16, 1919. Serial No. 304,412.

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. MoCANN, citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawmg.

The invention relates to improvements in gates.

. In the use of farm gates, it is highly desirable to provide a gate which may be quickly adjusted vertically from time to time while on its hinges to permit small animals to pass thereunder and to allow the gate to be easily moved over an irregular surface without encountering an obstruction, or at the same time taking up any sagging or dropping of the free end of the gate without changing the location of the gate supports or materially dismantling the gate parts.

The invention therefore aims to provide a gate of this character which is free to swing upon its hinges, yet at the same time is capable of being readily adjusted vertically. relative to the ground to permit the same to be raised to overcome an obstruction dur-' ing the swinging thereof or to provide sufficient space to allow small animals such as chickens to'pass thereunder. With this object in view, the invention preferably comprises a gate having a series of longitudinal panels, one of which is capable of a sliding adjustment relative to the gate supports, the adjustment of said panel in one direction raising the gate about its axis to lift the lower end thereof from the ground, whileadjus'tment in the opposite direction results in lowering the lower end of the gate toward the ground. V g,

In carrying out the invention, the gate is pivotally'attached at its upper end to a support, while one of the lower panels of the gate is mounted for a sliding movement in. the gate supports andhas pivotally attached thereto a hinged arm adapted to be seated upon a hinge pintle constituting the hinge, support for the lower side of the gate.- It willtherefore be seen that by moving the sliding panel horizontally the gate is swung about its upper pivot toward or fromfthe gate support and this adjustment serves to elevate or lower the gate depending upon the direction the sliding panel is adjusted:

In the accompanying drawings, I have shownthe preferred embodiment of the invention, but it will of course be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration, and that many changes may be made in the arrangement, association, and combination of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Inthe drawings,

F gure 1 is a side elevation of the gate.

Flg. 2 is a side elevation showing the gate in one. of its extreme positions; and,

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views.

drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts, the numeral 1 deslgnates a support, WhlCh 1n the present disclosure is shown as a post suitably anchored in the ground and having driven therein or secured thereto the hinge mem bers 2 formed with the hinge pintles 3, which hinge members. are permanently united to the support and secured thereto at proper vertical points to constitute a swinging support for the gate to be now described.

Mountedto swing upon the support 1 is a gate shown asv consisting of five spaced panels 4, 5, 6, and 8, these panels being suitably spaced apart in keeping with the use of the gate, and disclosed as being of a wooden construction, but obviously they may be of any formation desired, and constructed of metal should this be preferable. The panels are supported and spaced apart by the separated sets of vertical braces 9, 10, 11 and 12, each set of braces comprising two separated'metallic members extending one-ach side of the panels and secured to the panels 4, 5., 6 and 8 by means of'the rivets 13, passing through said braces and the panels, it being here observed that the panel 7 is free for a sliding movementv within the vertical braces for a reason which low the connection between this pair of braces are riveted to a hinge member 15 extending beyond one side of the gate and formed with an eye portion 16.having an aperture thereinof a greater diameter than:

the diameter of the upper pintle 3, this hinge member constituting one support for the gate during its swlnging movement, but

permitting a slight rocking movement of the gate on the pintle when the same is to be adjusted. V

In the use of farm gates 1t is frequently desirable to adjust the same: vertically. rela tive to the ground to overcome obstructions in the path of travel of the: gate due to roughsurfaces, accumulations of deposits,

etc, or-to permit the gate: tobe sufliciently raised. from theground' toallow small animals-to' passthereunden and to this end the slidable'panel' 7 is employed, which panel is mountedf-or a sliding; movement between the different vertical= guides and the upper and lower edges are guided during-their sliding 'movement by the rivets 18 and: 18 that pass through'the vertical braces and constitute a means for-guiding the panel when the same is shifted. The panel near its outer end" is-formed with' a cutout portion- 1-9nand pivotally secured to' said panel" and adapted to rise and fall in said cutoutportion is a hinge arm 20, being attached to the "panel by the rivet 21 constituting a hinge connection therefor passing through said arm and the panel, the free end of thehinge'arm having a' socket or opening 22 adapted to receive its hinge pintle 3'; arm is relatively long, and the inner vertical guides 12' are capable ofa considerable movement thereon'beforesaid' guides are brought into contact with the outer or inner ends of said hinge member.

The sliding panel 71s formed with aplura'lit'y of spaced apertures adapted to receive a locking bolt 24', which locking bolt engages or" contacts with the guides 10 when the'gatehas been adjusted to serve in maintaining the panel in Its ad'- justed' position "and to thereby hold the gate in 1ts proper vertlcal POSltlOIl relative to the ground. This locking bolt 1s shown as consisting ofa suitable bolt having a headed portion thereon which can be freely'removed' from any oneof thespaced apertures 24 and placed in another to correspondingly maintain the sliding panel in its adjusted posit1on, it being here observed that the adjus'tment" ofthe panel of course moves the of the gate relative to the ground vertically to overcome obstructions in the path of the swinging movement of the gate due to irregular surfaces or accumulation of deposits on the ground anda-t the same time to elevate thefree end of the gate" if the same This.

25 therein has a tendency to sag due to the heavy weight thereof. It is desired that this adjustment be one that can be made with ease, without changing the location of the gate supports or materially dismantling the gate elements and to this end the sliding panel 7'is utilized, it being observed that in Fig.- 1 of the d-raw-ings the gate is shown as being in its lowermost position at which time the sliding panel 7- has-been movedas fan as possible toward the left, bringing the rightzend of the: gate in its nearest position, relative to itssupportl, theipin 2& having been inserted through the! right handhole or aperture: in the panelv and bearing against the vertical braces 10; to-maintain the slidingpanel in this-position. Now; assuming that! it is desired to raise the lower end of the" gate in: view' of. its dragging upon the ground, or to provide a space to permit small animals to pass: thereunder, then the V sliding panel-T is shifted, tio=the right as shown in dotted linesvirr Fig. 1, -movingthe lower' end of the gate outwardly from itssupport upon its upper hinge connection .2, elevating the 7 bottom. panel off the gate: from the rail, and bringing the sliding panel "7' in" the dotted line: position, whereup-onthe bolt 24:" is inserted in' the I appropriate: aperture in the slidingpanel to maintain the panelin" this positionr. WVhen adjusted to this position it will be observed that the lowerend of the gate is*spaced1 aag-reater distance from its support than the upper end' t-hereof, but that the same- -is yet supportedeto a material exte'ntbythelowerhinge arm-20 receiving its hinge pintle The gate-can be further elevated byra continued inward" movementof the sliding'panel 7, if"such-woul'd-' be de-- sirable, and inany of its positionsthepanel is positively held against a sliding movement to permit the-gate to lower by the locking pinQl; V I

In the foregoing specificationI have described the preferred embodiment of the invention, having illustrated the bracing" for the gate panehas consistingwoftheseparated vertical braces 9", 1'0, 11 and 12',- butthis is only shown as: disclosing a convenientmeans for supporting the panel, but obviously any:

suitable form of frame maybe: employed thatwillenable certain: of the panels to be rigidly held 'in' relation thereto, while one of said panels: is permitted to have-a free sliding movement/and directly connected-to a hinge element'so that the gate can be ad justed vertically without changing its hinge supports, or in any way dismantling the; gate proper.

Having thus describedtheinvention what I claim is:

1. The combination with a gate Having a frame, of-"a support, a panel longitudi nally slidable in-the frame and having a slot in one end, and an arm having one end pivotally connected to the sup )ort and the opposite end pivoted in the s ot of the longitudinally slidable panel.

2. The combination with a gate having a frame, of a support, a panel longitudinally slidable in the frame and having a tapered slot in one end, and an arm having one end pivotally connected to the support and the opposite end pivoted in the tapered slot of the longitudinally slidable panel. I

3. The combination with a gate having a frame, of a support, vertically spaced plns extending through the frame, a longitudinally slidable panel operating between the pins, and an arm having one end pivotally connected to the support and the opposite end pivotally connected to the slidable panel.

4. The combination with a gate having a frame, of a support, vertically spaced pins extending through the frame, a longitudinally slidable panel operating between the pins and provided with a slot in oneend, and an arm having one end pivotally connected to the support and the opposite end pivotally connected in the slot of the slidable panel. I

5. The combination with a gate having a frame, of a support, a plurality of pairs of vertically spaced pins extending through the frame, a longitudinally slidable panel carried by the pairs of vertically spaced pins, and an arm having one end pivotally connected to support and the opposite end pivotally connected. to the slidable panel.

6. The combination with a gate having a frame, of a support, a panel longitudinally slidable in the frame and having a slot in one end and a plurality of irregularly positioned openings intermediate the ends, a bolt adapted to pass through one of the irregularly arranged openings and engage a portion of the frame, and an arm having one end pivotally connected to the support and the opposite end connected in the slot in the end of the slidable panel.

.7. The combination with a gate having a frame, and a plurality of panels supported thereby, a support for said gate, and a plurality of hinge connections between said gate and support to permit a swinging thereof, one of said hinge connections including a hinge arm adapted to be secured to a gate panel, said gate panel being adjustable longitudinally of the gate to elevate or lower the gate, and means cooperating with said panel and the gate frame to maintain the same in its adjusted position.

8. The combination with a gate having a frame, a support for said gate, a plurality of hinge connections between said gate and support to permit a swinging movement thereof, one of said hinge connections including ahinge arm, a sliding panel in said gate frame adapted to be pivotally connected to said hinge arm, said panel being formed with a plurality of apertures therein spaced apart, and a movable locking member adapted to be inserted in one of said apertures and cooperate with the gate frame for holdin the panel in its different adjusted positions.

9. The combination with a gate having a frame, of a support therefor, a plurality of hinge connections between said gate and support, one of said hinge connections including a hinge arm, a movable panel carried by the gate frame and having a cutout portion in one end, said hinge arm being adapted to be pivoted to said movable panel and capable of a movement in said cutout opening, the gate' panel being adjustable horizontally to elevate or lower the gate, and means cooperating with said panel and the gate frame for holding the same in the different positions of adjustment.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. MoCANN. Witnesses:

W. NUAMRETZER, M. A. RATOHFORD. 

